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Ride makes lunch stop at newly renovated Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy, where an Operation Comfort Warriors grant provided a custom-built grill for the home’s residents.

For years, U.S. Army veteran Danny Mittelberg visited the residents of the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy, Ill., through group rides as a member of Emmett J. Shields Post 55 American Legion Riders Chapter 55 in Hannibal, Mo. 

On Tuesday during Day 3 of the Legacy Run, Mittelberg was on the receiving end of one of those visits. The ride made a stop at the sprawling campus, visiting with staff and a few residents, while helping present a new grill courtesy of the Legion’s Operation Comfort Warriors (OCW) program.

“It was hard to describe. It really puts an imprint on your brain,” Mittelberg said of visiting with residents of the home before he became one there. “What they have already given to this country, and then what’s happening to them as they age. It’s something you really can’t get over.”

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

PHOTO 1: American Legion Riders at Post 27 in Muscatine, Iowa PHOTOS 2-4: American Legion Riders stopping for fuel and a wreath laying ceremony in Keokuk, Iowa.  PHOTOS 5-8: American Legion Riders at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy, Ill. PHOTOS 9 & 10: American Legion Riders at Post 55 in Hannibal, Mo.

Mittelberg, who served in Vietnam for 13 months and has lived on the campus for a year, said it was nice to be on the receiving end of those visits. “When I rode, there’d be about 15, 20 guys riding here,” he said. “Today, I saw Michigan, Florida, Wyoming. This is a big deal for these vets that can’t get around. It means a lot. You don’t realize it until you get put into my position, looking back how things were. It makes me feel blessed.”

Quincy’s Illinois Veterans Home underwent a $300 million renovation and rehabilitation project funded by the state that finished in 2025. The renovation resulted in the opening of two new state-of-the-art buildings:

·       The domiciliary, which provides independent living for 88 residents, offers studio and one-bedroom apartments with kitchenettes and extraordinary views of the campus. 

·       The long-term care building has 210 private rooms and baths, dining spaces, living rooms with fireplaces, a fitness center, a chapel, and a pub. 

Past National Commander Marty Conatser, a member of American Legion Post 102 in Deland, Ill., was there to greet the ride – as well as share the department’s pride in the veterans home.

“I think it’s great – the exposure,” Conatser said. “Our new facility is state-of-the-art. It’s our largest campus. It’s only one of five veterans homes in Illinois. It’s by far the largest. And we’re thrilled to have (the ride) come through Illinois. They need to come through every year.”

A similar sentiment was shared by Department of Illinois Commander Celeste Latham, who also was on hand to greet the ride – along with several members of Illinois department leadership and American Legion Auxiliary National President Pam Ray.

Latham said being able to show off the veterans home campus was “an outstanding opportunity” and also being able to host the Riders. “Their energy is contagious, and you know that they do it because they’re committed to continuing to serve,” she said. “And we are very grateful for that.”

Lunch during the stop was provided by Texas Roadhouse; following the break, ride participants went outside to see a custom-built grill with American Legion branding that can be connected to a vehicle and towed throughout the campus. 

While planning the ride, Legacy Run leadership visited the campus and learned the facility could use a new grill and reached out to the Department of Illinois to get their assistance.

“The Riders called the department and said, ‘Will you help us?'" Conatser said. “So we went through Operation Comfort Warriors, wrote the grant, and this week (Department Adjutant Joshua Thielen) and I went to pick it up in Holstein, Iowa, and brought it down here. 

“We’re really pleased. It’s something they needed here, and we were able to pull that off with the help of the Riders.”

Illinois Veterans Home Administrator Chuck Newton appreciated both the opportunity to show off the facility and the Riders stopping at it. “This is almost a once-in-a-lifetime, getting this many people … coming in on site and the excitement of our staff,” he said. “Our residents have been talking about it for weeks. It’s exciting for them: seeing people coming in who are interested in them.”

A Community’s Source of Pride. During the morning’s fuel stop, a group of Riders broke off to head to Oakland Cemetery, which is adjacent to the Keokuk National Cemetery and home to the Keokuk Veterans' Memorial. Oakland Cemetery is Keokuk's oldest cemetery, dedicated in 1851 and consists of approximately 100 acres and more than 75,000 monuments, some dating back to the 1800's. 

The Keokuk Veterans Memorial stands at the entrance to the cemetery and was dedicated July 4, 2005. It contains names of those who has served in the U.S. Armed Forces, as well as both panels and flags honoring the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Kirk Brandenberger, director of the Keokuk Area Convention & Tourism Bureau, worked with Legacy Run Chief Road Captain David Heredia Jr. to bring the Riders to the memorial for the ceremony.

“The community is very proud of this memorial. They were in awe when it was first designed and built,” Brandenberger said. “And people continue to support by putting new names on the wall and just supporting it in general. 

“It’s an honor to have (the ride) come through here, and it just reinforces that feeling that we have around here, and it reinforces and makes us remember that we are just part of a bigger situation.”

Great Welcome to End the Day. As the ride pulled into Emmett J. Shields Post 55 in Hannibal, Mo., a fantastic reception awaited it. Members of the post’s Legion Family joined other department Legionnaires in waving flags while the Riders rolled down Highway MM. The Hannibal Fire Department was there with two trucks, one hanging a giant American flag. 

Those awaiting the ride included Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher – or, at least, actors playing the characters created by the famed American author and humorist who grew up in Hannibal and based his two most famous books there.

And inside the post was America’s Freedom Tribute, which included a 360-foot replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Global War on Terror Wall.

Also greeting the ride were both post and department leadership, the latter including Post 55 member and Alternate National Executive Committeeman Mark Clark and Department Commander Alex Slocum, who saw the ride stop near his post, Matthews-Crawford Post 131 in Warrensburg, in 2024 during a visit to the Missouri Veterans Home.

“It’s an honor for (the ride) to come through any state, but especially being the commander of the department now,” Slocum said. “The Riders do so much for us. They really get the message out. They really get the emblem out there. They came through Warrensburg a couple of years ago, and it was just a delight.”

Slocum said he was not surprised by the welcome provided by Post 55. “This post is very active, and that’s one reason (the ride) came here,” he said. “They knew they’d put on a good program for them.”

More Money Rolls In. Donations delivered during the day included $18,305 from the Department of Ohio, including $10,000 from the Ohio Legion Riders’ romp and another $6,1000 from Avon Lake Post 211’s Legion Family.